This was our third cruise; it was the first time we've traveled on Carnival.

Embarkation was pretty quick, about thirty minutes. We arrived at about 2:00 (embarkation was open from 1:30-4:00) and were on the boat by 2:45 (after pictures, walking up the gangway, etc.). I was mildly disappointed to find the Paradise did not offer a glass of champagne as we walked on the ship, as this has been the case on the other line we sailed. We were pleasantly surprised to find our luggage already waiting for us at our room, so we quickly unpacked and set about to explore the ship.

Ship The Paradise is very glitzy. The names of the rooms are written in mini-light-bulbs, the dining room has mini-light-bulbs, there is a lot of gold and faded shiny decor. It reminded me of the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas...very dated. In addition, I found the cabin hallways had an unpleasant odor I could never quite identify, and our cabin smelled liked stale smoke. While the ship looked clean, it also had that vaguely sticky look that makes you hesitant to lean up against a wall or touch anything. Read more